No Better Place

Between work and shows, I have not been outside to play since we got home from vacation a month and a half ago! YIKES! So when Dan found a decent rate for a room in Gardiner, I couldn't have been happier! There was truly no place I'd rather spend my birthday weekend. 






I nervously watched the weather reports all week, but nothing developed to keep us from going (not even the cold that I caught). Friday was windy, but sunny. Our first photo op of the day was a golden eagle. He even stayed put while we turned around, went back, and got a few pics. That's pretty rare for a golden. We  were almost to Gardiner when we spotted a bald eagle ~ the first of the season. 

Considering winter's short days, we decided to head right into the park. Since we only had a few hours of daylight, we saved any hiking for Saturday and drove out to Lamar Valley. It was a good day for coyotes. We saw four! 

As darkness fell, we returned to Gardiner, checked into our room, and gave thought to dinner. Since the only restaurant open was just two blocks away, we walked. I was not, however, expecting to run a gauntlet of wild animals! The little doe drinking from a curbside puddle wasn't much of a threat, but the three elk made me a bit more nervous. But we avoided any conflict, and I very much enjoyed my prime rib dinner. 

Saturday morning came earlier than I wanted when I was awakened at 5:15 by voices from the room next door. **SIGH** Oh well, I actually wanted to be in the park for sunrise anyway. Unfortunately, the low, dark clouds hid all but a few whispers of pink ~ not the picturesque sunrise I was hoping for. 

We headed straight for Trout Lake, hoping for otters. There was just enough snow to mute the entire world around us. The lake was frozen over, and the only fresh tracks in the snow were ours and the animals'. Sadly, none of the tracks were left by otters. We hiked all the way around Trout Lake and over to Buck Lake without seeing anything. 

No otters, but some pretty reflections

Our next jaunt came when Dan spotted what he thought was an elk skylined on a hill above the valley floor near the Yellowstone Picnic Area. Upon surveillance with his binoculars, he saw that it was actually a big horn ram. He asked if I wanted to climb up and see if we could find it, and I think that he was a bit surprised when I said yes. (My cold was sapping my energy, but he was very patient with me.) I had always wondered what was over that hill anyway. So we ascended the most gradual side, circumnavigated the entire plateau, and cautiously picked our way down the other side without encountering anything other than a solitary buffalo. 

We decided to call it a day and start meandering in the general direction of home. We took the Old Yellowstone Trail on the other side of the river and drove through herds of elk and antelope. Our whole demeanor changed, though, when a small group of big horn sheep snapped us to attention. Were we finally going to get some "sheep action"? We watched two different groups, each with their own dominant ram. Each group also had a smaller ram who was interested in the ewes, but neither was big enough to challenge the dominant one. So, we got "action," just not the kind that we were anticipating. 



Oh well, all in all, it was a great birthday outing and a wonderful way to close out our 2017 Yellowstone season. 

BONUS PICS

This was one of a pair of small coyotes. Maybe this year's pups?

The photo does not do justice to this beautiful fox!

I'm not quite sure what the expression means...

Back off, Youngster!

The other side of the road

Wild Wisconsin Waterfalls

Eight waterfalls in one day!

Sometimes it's good to know a local! Since our daughter Ashley moved to Milwaukee almost six years ago, she has done a lot of exploring and was able to give us some recommendations for sightseeing on our way home. 

Brownstone Falls
The name comes from the rock around it. 

Her first selection for us was Copper Falls State Park. When we arrived at the park, we were informed that there are actually three waterfalls within the park boundaries. The first walking loop took us past Copper Falls, which I must admit, I found to be a bit underwhelming. Brownstone Falls, farther down the trail, was much more satisfying. We continued our walk and came to a stairway down the side of the gorge. Then we crossed a bridge and, naturally, climbed back up a stairway on the other side. We were now above Brownstone Falls. The rapids above the falls were nearly as pretty as the falls themselves, albeit less dramatic. 

The river above Brownstone Falls

Copper Falls from the "better" viewpoint.

We crossed another bridge over the river and started back toward the car. Just before the end of the trail, we came to the other side of Copper Falls. I think this was the side that Ashley saw, because I found the view much more picturesque. 

After finishing the first loop, we decided that since we were there, we would also do the more ambitious 2.5 mile hike to Red Granite Falls. (Top photo) We quickly gathered that this was the less-traveled part of the park - just the way we like it! There were also no fences and no signs saying that we had to stay on the trail. We very much enjoyed sitting on the rocks along the riverbank watching the falls. Eventually, Dan pointed out the time and the remaining plans for the day, so we finished the loop and set off for our next destination. 

Upper Amnicon Falls

Amnicon Falls was the second of Ashley's recommendations for us. We figured that this one wouldn't take long, because she told us that it was literally right off the parking lot. But again, there was more to the story. Just like the last park, Amnicon also features three waterfalls, as well as a historic bridge between the upper and lower falls. The walking trail follows the bank of the river along an island in the center of the river. Yes, we could have driven right to the falls, but we would have missed so much on the other side of the island. The river on that side was equally pretty and formed the third falls, Snakepit Falls. (I didn't spend a lot of time speculating on the origin of the name!) 

Horton Bridge and Lower Amnicon Falls

Our trifecta of waterfall destinations was completed at Pattison State Park. The rangers at both Copper Falls and Amnicon directed us to this park. Big Manitou Falls (left) drops 165 feet and is Wisconsin's highest waterfall. But I was more taken with Little Manitou Falls. I can't really say why. Perhaps it was, once again, fewer people or maybe it was just the time of day. Whatever the reason, this waterfall seemed to me to be the perfect closer for our day, and even for the whole trip. 

Little Manitou Falls

 Congratulations! You made it to the end of our trip! 

I hope that you enjoyed "traveling" with us, 

and that I have encouraged you to 

"Go play outside!" 

**Bonus Pictures**

We found more color in Wisconsin than we did in Michigan.
Some sunshine would have helped, though.

The underwhelming first view of Copper Falls.
Pretty, but not what I was expecting.

The river above Brownstone Falls.
The copper color in the water comes from tannin, a natural
dye resulting from tamarack and cedar trees decaying in northern bogs. 

Upper Amnicon Falls

The "other side" of the river

Yes, I did this on purpose. 

The closer

Do We Really Have to Go Home?

There comes a time in most every vacation when you have to turn around and head for home. That time came for us, but we were determined to make vacation last as long as possible. We deliberately left ourselves three days to drive home so that we could do some things along the way. 

After one last breakfast with Dad and Mom, we turned north and crossed the Mighty Mackinac Bridge. Once across, we stopped at the visitor center for an up-to-date map of Michigan. I also picked up a brochure for Pictured Rocks Boat Cruises. As we merged back onto the interstate, I tentatively pointed out to Dan that we had never done the boat tour, and that there were times that fit our agenda. To my great delight, he merely remarked, "so call them." 

With our spots on the boat secured, I turned my attention back to the scenery. While there was definitely was more color in the trees in the Upper Peninsula than there had been south of the bridge, I still hadn't really found "the spot." Within a couple of hours, we reached the southern shore of Lake Superior. At last, I got my "stop-the-car!" moment when I spotted several brightly colored trees reflected in a quiet stream. 

Our next stop was when we saw a sign for Sable Falls. (Top of page) We'd never been to that waterfall, so we stopped to investigate. It was just a short walk and some stairs to the overlook, and it was well worth the stop. 

Our arrival in Munising was perfectly timed for our cruise. We walked in, bought our tickets, got in line, and got on the boat. We made a point of asking one of the crewmen where we should be for the best photo opportunities. I'm so glad that we asked, because it was not the spot that we thought it would be. Obviously, not too many other people thought so either, because for most of the first half of the trip, we had it all to ourselves. We have visited Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore many times, but it was so very different viewed from the water as opposed to from the bluffs above. 

Spray Falls

Lover's Leap

East Channel Lighthouse

Once our boat returned to shore, we really needed to put some miles behind us. Wouldn't you know... the best autumn color of the day was right at twilight. Oh well, we still had one more day. 

***Congratulations! You have reached the end of the second-to-last post! Watch for the last one, though, because I really do think it may be the best of all!***

Bonus Pics

The other side of the road from my "Stop-the-car!"

Sable Falls

The water really was this pretty green color along some of the shoreline,
and so very clear! 

Chapel Rock
If you look carefully, you will see tree roots from the tree on Chapel Rock
reaching across to the main shore. It was once supported by rock,
but that support fell away and left the exposed roots. 

Tunneling to the Beach

Even before we left for Michigan, I told Dan that I wanted to use one of our "free" days to drive the Tunnel of Trees. (M-119 out of Harbor Springs. It's a thing -- just google it) We made our way down back roads (some deliberately, some not so much) from Levering to Harbor Springs to the "mouth" of the tunnel. The narrow, twisting road follows the lake shore, giving the occasional tantalizing glimpse of the blue water through the trees. There wasn't much color yet, but it was still a very pretty drive. 

Scattered along the road are various nature conservancies. My brother Ben recommended one in particular, the Elmer Johnston Nature Conservancy. It did not disappoint! The one and a half mile walking trail took us up a gentle hill to an open meadow where we could see out over the lake. The sky was a beautiful, soft blue with just a couple of small clouds, and we could see Beaver Island on the horizon. The trail then paralleled the tree line, where we spooked a deer. I only heard it, but Dan caught a glimpse of a white tail moving away from us. We followed for a moment, but we didn't see it again. (That was actually our only "wildlife encounter" of the whole trip, except for the ubiquitous deer along the road in the dark.) Now the trail beckoned us into the shady, quiet forest. We could hear woodpeckers working away on the trees, as well as the calls of some other birds. Once we even heard a turkey gobble. 

Back on the road, we made our way into Good Hart and stopped at the General Store. Ben told me I had to try their fresh lemon bars. Unfortunately, they were fresh out! So I settled for cookies and the seemingly obligatory dose of Vietnam-era politics. (We were on the same side, so I guess it was okay.) 

There was one more stop that we had to make for old time's sake before going home for supper: Sturgeon Bay. Upon our arrival, I was immediately struck by the distinct lack of beach. I remember it as such a wide, sandy stretch, but this time the water very nearly came all the way to the vegetation between the water and the road. (Such are water cycles in the Great Lakes.) But there was still room enough for a quick hand-in-hand stroll and a few pictures. Just like the good ol' days. 

Thanks for sticking with me! Just two more trip posts to go!

In my humble opinion, they are the best from 

a photography standpoint.